India’s Information & Broadcasting and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said yesterday that big tech platforms like Google’s YouTube, Meta , X and Netflix must operate within the country’s constitutional framework, a week after New Delhi tightened its content-takedown rules.

His comments came on the sidelines of an artificial intelligence summit in Delhi, where top executives from global AI giants will join several world leaders this week, a Reuters report from New Delhi stated yesterday.

“It’s very important for the multinationals to understand the cultural context of the country in which they are operating,” Vaishnaw said during a briefing at the India AI Impact Summit.

Last week, India said social media companies will have to remove unlawful content within three hours of being notified, tightening an earlier 36-hour timeline, in what could be a compliance challenge for Meta, YouTube and X.

There is a need for much stronger regulation on deepfakes, Vaishnaw said, adding that a dialogue has already been initiated with the industry on the issue.

There is mounting global pressure on social media companies to police content more aggressively, with governments from Brussels to Brasilia demanding faster takedowns and greater accountability.

Meanwhile, as reported by Indianbroadcastingworld.com yesterday, in a chat with Motion Picture Association Chairman & CEO Charles Rivkin on February 16, the Minister had said social media platforms, AI developers and content creators must collectively ensure that emerging technologies strengthen public trust rather than erode it.

Calling issues such as deepfakes and data breaches “non-negotiable”, the Minister said freedom of speech itself relies on trust and that trust must be protected. He also pointed out that global digital platforms must take into account cultural contexts while distributing content, especially in the OTT ecosystem, where audiences often consume content across borders without physical or cultural boundaries, an ANI report had stated.

Vaishnaw, according to the ANI report, further underlined in the fireside chat, which was organised as part of the ongoing AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, artificial intelligence is not a threat to human storytelling but an opportunity for growth. He said AI will coexist with creativity rather than replace it, provided strong copyright and intellectual property frameworks are established to protect creators and encourage innovation.